Cindy Hyde-Smith becomes first woman to represent Mississippi in Congress

Mississippi Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith, left, is welcomed as the newest member of the U.S. Senate by Vice President Mike Pence, right, as she is joined by her husband, Michael Smith, center, and Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, far left, during a ceremonial swearing-in at the Old Senate Chamber, Monday, April 9, 2018, in the Capitol in Washington. She was appointed by Mississippi Gov. Bryant to succeed Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., who resigned in April for health reasons. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) ORG XMIT: DCJM101(Photo: Jacquelyn Martin, AP)

WASHINGTON — Cindy Hyde-Smith was sworn in Monday to the U.S. Senate, making history as the first woman to represent Mississippi in Congress and helping set a record for the number of women serving in the Senate.

Hyde-Smith fills the unexpired term of Republican Sen. Thad Cochran, 80, who announced plans last month to step down early, citing health reasons. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant appointed Hyde-Smith, the state's agriculture commissioner, to temporarily replace Cochran, whose last day was April 1.

"I'm ready to go to work,'' Hyde-Smith told Vice President Mike Pence after a mock swearing-in ceremony later in the day.

Hyde-Smith is among a record 23 women in the Senate, including 17 Democrats and six Republicans, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. The last record was set this year with 22 female senators, the center said.

State and national women's groups hope Hyde-Smith's history-making appointment will spur other women across the state to run for elected offices.

Mississippi is one of two states never to elect a woman to Congress. The other is Vermont.

Hyde-Smith, 58, a beef cattle farmer from Brookhaven and a former longtime state senator, plans to run to fill the remainder of Cochran’s term. A special election is set for Nov. 6.